Self-aligning strip shingle



De. 31, 1929. W, A, HARRIS Y' 1,741,566

SELF ALIGNING STRIP SHINGLE Filed Aug. 22. 1925 2 sheets-sham 1 I* im 1f K L/ 771\}// l 12| Z v y2 )W1 70 l:

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Dec. 31, 1929. W, A HARRlS 1,741,566

SELF ALIGNING STRIP SHINGLE Filed Aug. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet `2 RH J wzzzmmmef, QJ I if' i @gli 2f w23/J.

Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM A. HARRIS, OF BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FLINTKOTE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS sELF- ALIGNING STRIP SHTNGLE i Application led August 22, 1925. Serial No. 51,755.

This invention relates to prepared roofing I elements, and is especially applicable to strip shingles so-called. Prepared roofing elements such as strip shingles are usually cut from sheet material comprising a fibrous foundation such as rag, asbestos, wood, or mixed fiber saturated and coated with asphalt or like bituminous material, and surfaced with -a layer of crushed mineral material such as crushed slate.

In laying the ordinary strip shingle such as that type described in Letters 'Patent No. 1,150,298, dated August 17, 1915, to Frederick C. Overbury, having cutouts between its individual shingle-simulating tabs, the top edges of the cutouts serve as a straight guide `line to lay to, thus making the shingle selfaligning in a horizontal direction. Contrarily, however, the shingle is not self-aligning vertically. Owing to this fact, in the ordinary course of laying such shingles, it is somewhat difficult for the workmen to precisely locate' the centers of the tabs directly over the top edges of the cutouts of the strip shingle 'in the. course therebelow, so that a non-alignment of t-he cutouts may result; and as the laying proceeds, this non-alignment may become more pronounced, thus impairing the appearance of the roof. The object of the present invention is to provide a strip shingle which will be self-aligning in both vertical and horizontal directions, thereby permitting accurate and rapid laying without any particular attention to alignment. In so doin this invention 'has incident thereto other eatures which will appear as the description proceeds.

The aforementioned object may be attained by cutting the sheet material into strip shingles in a manner such that guide charactersV are formed at the centers of the lower edges of each of the tabs,-,the shingle thus produced possessing a configuration characterized by its self-aligning capabilities.

Figure 6 illustrates a method of cutting a strip shingle embodying a further modification of the present invention.

Figure 7 illustrates a strip shingle produced by such cutting.

Figures 8 to 15, inclusive, show shingles embodying other modifications of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, S represents a sheet of material, consisting of a base or foundation of interfelted fibrous material of indeterminate length, formed on any of the well known types of paper-making machines, which is saturated with the usual waterproofing material employed in the manufacture of prepared shingles, such as pitch, asphalt, or like bituminous material. The saturated sheet is coated on one or both faces with a weatherproofing coating, such as high melting point asphalt or pitch, which will not run when exposed to solar heat. The coating on the face exposed to the weather when laid is surfaced with a material having wear-resisting, ornamental and fireproofing characteristics, such as crushed slate, granite, sand, or other inert mineral grit material.

A prepared sheet may be cut into self-aligning shingles as follows. Between the edges of the sheet S (Figure 1), may be formed by any suitable cutting tool two series of equi-spaced slits, namely, rows comprising pairs of longitudinal slits, f and g, and similarly rows comprising pairs of relatively short slits n and 0,-the last mentioned pairs being located midway between the successive first-mentionedpairs, and at their right ends as viewed on the drawing.- The left end of each pair f and g is connected by a cross-slit and the right end of the pair n and o by a cross-slit j, forming a series of tongues Z and a series of relatively smaller tongues m, connected at their opposite ends with the main body of the sheet S. Then, by any suitable cutting tool or other instrumentality, the sheet is severed between the small tongues m on the dotted lines gif-this line coinciding with the right end of the pairs of slits f and g. As a result of this procedure, there is formed a series of strip shingles, each of which may be considered as comprising a substantially i rectangular imperforate-area upper portion described one method of cutting,'any other v cated between a pair of the first mentioned suitable method may be followed in forming a strip shingle from the sheet possessing the foregoing configuration. The strip shingles thus formed are laid as shown in Figure 3,-

,the lower 'edges of the projections 4 coinciding with the top edges of the cutouts of a lower course, the result being that the shingles are aligned simultaneously in both vertical and horizontal directions. The-configuration of the shingle also adds additional artistic effect or design to the roof.

In Figure 4 I have shown a somewhat modified strip shingle configuration, with which the same general result may be accomplished. In this shingle, spaced pairs of triangular notches 9, 9 extend inwardly from the lower edge of each tab, forming a central rectangular projection 10 therebetween, sirnilar to that described in connection with Figure The shingles are laid in substantially the same manner as that shown'in Figure 3,-- a slightly different design being obtained on the roof surface.

In Figure G I have illustrated a method of cutting shingles lengthwise from a sheet and embodying a further modified form of the present invention. In this instance, the sheet S is slit by any suitable cutting instrument, transversely of its length at regularly spaced intervals, in a manner to form pairs of spaced parallel slits c, c, and longitudinally to form pairs of slits d, Z joining the ends of the firstmentioned pairs, thereby producing a row of spaced transverse rectangular slots in the" sheet, centrally located 'between its edges. Similarly, pairs of short transverse parallel slits a, (L, equi-spaced to the slits c, c, and centrally located between theslits c, c, and pairs of longitudinal slits b, b joining the ends of the pair a, a are-formed, thereby producing a row of slots, each slot being centrally loslots. The sheet is then slit centrally of the length of the slots along the line XX, and transversely along the lines YY, centrally of the large'slots at regularly spaced intervals as at every fourth slot, thereby producing shingles at each side of the sheet possessing the configuration shown in Figure 7.

'Ihe configuration of the shingle shown in Figure 7 includes a central rectangular recess 25 of a width equal to that of a cutout 3 extending inwardly from the lower edge of each tab, which serves as the aligning element of the shingle in laying.

The lower edge of each tab may include other forms or shapes of central aligning elements, the aligning or registering portions of which are equal in width to that of a spacing cut-out. For example, the aligning element shown in Figure 8 is a semi-circular projection 12; Figure 9, a triangular notchtions 21 and 22, shown respectively in Figures 13 and 14. Or, in 'lieu of including the aligning element in the shingle configuration, the element may be marked on the surface of the shingle, as by printing, by impression (that is, forcing the slate into the asphalt), or by removing the slate to show a contrasting color. 'Ihe 4aligning character thus marked on the shingle at the central portion of the lower tab edges may correspond in shape to any of the characters herein described. For example, as illustrated in Figure 15, the slate surfacing may be removed from 'the shingle to form a mark or asphalt-exposed portion 25n corresponding to the rectangular element shown in Figure 7.

Having described certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those,

skilled in the art that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A self-aligning strip shingle comprising a substantially rectangular upper portion and a lower portion comprising a plurality of shingle simulating tabs spaced from one another by rectangular cutouts, the lower edge of each tabhaving a pair of spaced notches defining a projection therebetween at the center of the tab `equal in width to one of said cutouts and adapted to overlie and be Hush with the end wall of a cutout in the course next below on a roof.

2. A roof comprising strip shingles laid in overlapping courses, each strip shingle having 'a plurality of shingle-simulating tabs spaced from one another by'rectangular cutouts, each of said tabs having a projection integral therewith at the center` of its lower edge registering with a cut-out of a shingle strip in the course next below, the projection having a horizontal lower edge overlying and flush with the end Wall of the cut-out with Which it registers.

3. A lat strip shingle cut in a single piece from a sheet of semi-flexible roofing material, said strip shingle having a substantially rectangular upper portion and a plurality of shingle-simulating tabs spaced by rectangular cut-outs, the lower edge of each tab having at its center a projection integral there- With and equal in Width to that of a spacing cut-out.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature. WILLIAM A. HARRIS. 

